ntl

Virgin Media Launches TV, Broadband, Phone Service in U.K.

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 8, 2007 - 1:49pm.

London - Richard Branson's Virgin Group on Thursday announced the launch of Virgin Media, which will offer bundled digital TV, broadband, home and mobile phone service across the U.K.

tags: Mobile | Video | VOD | TV | U.K. | ntl | Telewest | Virgin Media |

U.K. Broadband Firm ntl to Test BitTorrent Video Download Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 10, 2006 - 3:02am.

London - ntl, the U.K.'s largest cable company with 3.3 million cable TV subscribers and 1.7 million broadband customers, announced on Friday that it has partnered with peer-to-peer file-sharing software distributor BitTorrenet to test an ultra high-speed video download service in the U.K. The companies will work with CacheLogic to further accelerate the delivery of legal, licensed video content such as movies, music videos and TV programs. BitTorrent has long been a popular means of sharing pirated movies and TV shows, but recently the company negotiated with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to remove copyrighted content from its search engine. "As the world's leading P2P application, we are engaging artists and ISPs to build a consumer-friendly ecosystem around our protocol that allows all involved to benefit from P2P," said Ashwin Navin, co-founder and president of BitTorrent. The trial is expected to launch with ntl broadband subscribers in April.

U.K. Cable TV Firm ntl to Deploy Scientific-Atlanta HD Video Recorder

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 21, 2005 - 7:51am.

Atlanta - TV set-top box manufacturer Scientific-Atlanta said that U.K. cable TV firm ntl, which claims 3.3 million subscribers, will deploy Scientific-Atlanta's first MPEG-4 high-definition digital video recorder for European cable operators. The device features three video tuners, a 160GB hard drive, and the capability to distribute stored content to multiple rooms in the home.

tags: ntl | U.K. Cable TV | Scientific-Atlanta HD Video Recorder |

U.K.-Based Cable Firm ntl to Buy Rival Telewest for $5.96 Billion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 3, 2005 - 3:45am.

London - ntl, a U.K.-based cable group, announced that it has agreed to acquire smaller U.K. rival Telewest for approximately $5.96 billion. ntl said the fully merged company would have about 5 million pay TV and broadband subscribers, allowing it to better compete with telecommunication giant BT Group Plc and local satellite broadcaster BSkyB Group Plc. "This is a transforming transaction for the U.K. cable industry," said ntl CEO Simon Duffy. "It marks not just the culmination of a decade of consolidation but, more importantly, the creation of a new competitive force in the communications and entertainment sectors in the U.K." The new company will become the largest provider of residential broadband services in the U.K. with more than 2.5 million subscribers and the second-largest pay TV provider with 3.3 million subscribers. ntl said it expected to complete the deal by the first quarter of next year, pending regulatory approval.

ntl, BroadbandTV Group to Trial Interactive TV Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 28, 2005 - 4:45am.

Los Gatos, Calif. - U.K. cable TV provider ntl and BroadbandTV Group -- a joint venture between interactive TV firms YooMedia and ICTV -- announced on Wednesday that, following successful lab trials, they will being live testing of broadband interactive digital TV programming and technology in the fourth quarter of 2005. The trial with ntl subscribers will deliver Web-based Interactive programming to subscribers' existing cable set-top boxes.

tags: ntl | Interactive TV | Trial | BroadbandTV Group |

NTL Broadcast and O2 to Trial Mobile TV Service in England

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 13, 2005 - 9:08am.

Oxford, England -- NTL Broadcast and U.K.-based mobile operator O2 announced that they plan to test run Britain's first mobile TV service in July. The companies said the six-month trial, which will investigate how people use the service, would provide a wide range of programs from 16 different channels, including shows from the Discovery Channel, CNN, the Cartoon Network and a short-film channel called Shorts International. The service employs the DVB-H transmission standard, which has been developed for the broadcast of TV signals on mobiles and other handheld devices. While NTL and O2 research shows that more than half of U.K. mobile users are very interested in watching TV programs on their mobiles, the companies admit that they are still unsure how people will use the services.